As a supporter of Tennessee Equality Project, your contribution funds the advancement of policies through direct and grass roots lobbying which protect the rights of LGBT people and their families here at home in Tennessee. Contributions to TEP (a 501(c)(4) organization) are not tax deductible.

If you would prefer to make a tax-deductible contribution to Tennessee Equality Project Foundation, click here.

Click here to see who is supporting the work of equality in Tennessee. 

Other Giving Options

Some supporters prefer to write a check or make monthly donations to Tennessee Equality Project through automatic bank drafts. Consider creating “Tennessee Equality Project” as a regular payee with your bank’s online service.

Checks and automated bank drafts may be mailed to the following address:

Tennessee Equality Project | P.O. Box 330875 | Nashville, TN 37203 

Thank you for supporting Tennessee Equality Project.

Outgoing Ohio Governor John Kasich recently signed an executive order barring discrimination against state government employees on the basis of gender identity.  Discrimination based on sexual orientation was already banned. 

Outgoing Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam could do the same for our state government employees.  Sign the petition and urge him to protect LGBTQ state government employees by executive order.  If we get 1000+ signatures, we will deliver them to the Governor's office. 

A foster care and adoption license to discriminate measure was recently put into a health and human services funding bill in the House Appropriations Committee.

The “Aderholt Amendment” allows foster care and adoption service providers across the country to discriminate against children and prospective parents based on sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, and marital status.

We need your help to tell Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker:  NO ADOPTION DISCRIMINATION in the 2019 Appropriations bill!  We will deliver hard copies to their offices.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is retiring so the President will name a successor who must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.  Sign to urge Senator Alexander and Senator Corker to speak up for the LGBTQ community during the confirmation process.  TEP will deliver a hard copy of the signatures to their offices.

Generous anonymous donors have come forward and offered to match all donations to the TEP Foundation between NOW and 11:59 p.m. Central Time on December 31!  That means that your gift is doubled and your impact for advancing equality in Tennessee is doubled. 

C A N  W E  M A T C H  O U R  M O M E N T ?

Matching Our Moment...Marriage equality is on its way to Tennessee, but what happens when a lesbian working at a company with no non-discrimination policy puts a picture of her wife on her desk?  We've made progress in our cities, but too often hate violence erupts in the very cities where we've passed non-discrimination ordinances and partner benefits.  And while the adults start to get legal protections, LGBT students in Tennessee are left behind--bullied at schools and in some cases driven out of their homes by parents who refuse to accept them because their minds have taken in hateful messages.

Our Moment is one of opposition, one of need, and most of all, one of opportunity.  Can we match our moment? 

Your tax deductible contribution to the TEP Foundation by December 31 helps us do just that.  You can give online or send your dated check in a post-marked envelope to P.O. Box 330895  Nashville, TN 37203.

Matching Our Opposition:  We face two kinds of opposition in Tennessee.  There is the very well-funded public arm of opposition in the form of far Right lobbying groups that seek to promote a culture of fear and intolerance in congregations, in the media, and in our Legislature.  And then there is more diffused kind of opposition--a sermon that seems to come from out of nowhere, an outrageous remark by a county commissioner, or a store that refuses to serve a transgender person.  The TEP Foundation's programs through diversity training, media engagement, and Equality Means Business help shape Tennessee's culture with the values of equality and inclusion.  When you invest in equality in Tennessee, you give us a fighting chance against the opposition.

Matching Our Need:  The data on bullying in our schools tells the story.  The Tennessee Department of Education revealed there were over 5400 confirmed cases of bullying in Tennessee schools in 2012.  National data consistently shows Southern states are underfunded by significant percentages.  LGBT people and our allies need victories, however small, and we need hope so that victories can grow.  TEP Foundation programs like SAFE (Schools Are For Everyone) Tennessee assist GSAs, help communities deal with bullying, and help citizens engage their school boards with solutions. 

Matching Our Opportunity:  Potential allies are all around us.  Meaningful victories are within reach.  How we handle the first days of marriage equality in Tennessee can set the stage for a safer, more inclusive Tennessee for all of us.  When you support TEP Foundation programs like Tennessee Ready for Marriage on DAY ONE and Equality Means Business you give allies concrete ways to show their support and grow the movement.  We are grateful for your support.

Tennessee Open For Business is a free program for Tennessee small businesses that pledge not to discriminate against their employees or customers on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. That means that member businesses do not discriminate against gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender individuals or couples or do harm to the LGBTQ community.  Members will get a listing on our website, a post on Facebook, and a window cling suitable for display in their storefront. The program is made possible through generous support of the Brooks Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

The Tennessee Equality Project reserves the right to refuse membership in this program to any applicant and to revoke the membership of any business.

You can see a list of some of the current members of Tennessee Open For Business at this link. 

For questions, contact us at [email protected].